The cover of Ed Yong's new book, An Immense World. Penguin Random House hide caption
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sea otters
A group of sea otters gather in Morro Bay, Calif., in 2010. It's been more than a century since sea otters were hunted to near extinction along the U.S. West Coast. The animals were successfully reintroduced along the Washington, British Columbia and California coasts, but an attempt to bring them back to Oregon in the early 1970s failed. A local nonprofit is advocating for another attempt. Reed Saxon/AP hide caption
Coastal tribes in Oregon hope to bring sea otters back to their community
Sea otters are tourist magnets--and voracious eaters. Not everyone is happy about their comeback off the coast of British Columbia. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption
This sea otter, about to eat a crab in the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, is cute, sure. But more importantly, it's indirectly combating some harmful effects of agricultural runoff and protecting the underwater ecosystem. Rob Eby/AP hide caption
"Pup 681" during a feeding at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Brenna Hernandez/Shedd Aqarium hide caption
Pup 681 enjoys a snack and some playtime at its new home at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Shedd Aquarium/YouTube screengrab hide caption